Here Is What Needs To Be Done At Real Madrid
Monday, 04 May 09, 01:00 AM · Comments (119)
Rau'l is a legend, but legends retire at some point.
Following Real Madrid's humiliating defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico, everyone started talking about what should be done at the club to reshape the team and restore its pride and image as Spain's, Europe's, and the world's most powerful football club.
With elections coming up this month, most are certain that Florentino Perez will regain the presidential seat and re-adopt the 'Galacticos' strategy — a team that is filled with superstars. His idea only worked for a couple of years before, then it collapsed and the club had to hire Fabio Capello to do a 'clean-up' and get the team's spirit back.
I personally don't have anything against Señor Perez, but if he is really going to reform the team in the way the press is reporting, then Real will definitely go into a trophyless coma for another four or five years.
So here is what the club needs to do in order to avoid this fate ...
1. Keep things stable
After this election, there should be no more. Real doesn't have to change presidents, and presidents who are in power should put a halt to the scandals and focus their efforts on serving the club rather than themselves and their desires.
2. Keep Juande Ramos
To begin with, he is a top-notch football manager. The fact that Tottenham sacked him doesn't mean a darn thing. Heck, even Capello was sacked twice when he won two titles. If you are going to evaluate a coach, then your evaluation needs to be objective and systematic. Study Juande's history, tactical ability, and football knowledge and you'll realize he is one of the best coaches in Spain at the moment.
Another reason to keep Ramos is because there aren't any better ones at the moment. Fergie, Wenger, Mourinho, Ancelotti, and Rafa are all tied up with their clubs. You can go to the route Barca went to by hiring a former player and a younger coach, but it is too risky. Pepe Guardiola proves me wrong here, but why risk it when you already have a great coach in Juande Ramos?
3. Keep the team's foundation
What is the foundation of the team at the moment? Casillas, Ramos, Diarra, Higuain, Robben, Diarra, and Van Nistelrooy are the players that when gone, the team greatly suffers. Guti, Raul, Salgado, and Cannavaro are also important players, but due to their age, they can't continue at the club and thus can't be the foundation of the team. So the first thing to do is keep the young, yet important players and — you guessed it — let go of the old folks. Wish them the best of luck and serve them as well as they served the club when it needed them.
4. Feed the team strategically
The coach, not the president or the guy who mows the pitch, is the one responsible for this task. He should analyze the team and its players. He should look at the areas which the club needs to re-strengthen, and look for players who could play in these areas.
The first thing he needs to do is look at the Castilla and see if there is really an impressive, extremely talented youngster who can seriously and quickly develop to be a first-team player. It is typically difficult to find such a player, but Real Madrid has one of the best youth systems in the world and has always presented fantastic players to the world. There has got to be another Messi out there.
The second step is to scout. Look at the youth sectors of other clubs and spot the unique talents there. Four clubs master this very well — Barcelona, AC Milan, Manchester United, and Arsenal. Most of their first team players are either youth products or players whom they discovered. Real needs a scout who is intelligent and understands football very well to take this job. Another thing is that he can keep his mouth shut until a deal is sealed with a young talent. Maybe a role for Zidane?
The third step, and a harder one to implement, is to look for already world-class players at other clubs. The art of this strategy relies in the research, and the way of approaching the players and their clubs. Ramon Calderon and his staff were poor at this. Barcelona and AC Milan master it. They can get whoever they want, without breaking any rules or starting any wars with other teams.
In terms of who should be signed, loaned, and sold, here they are ...
To be signed
Winger: Franck Ribery
Real has always had problems on the flanks, especially when Robben was injured and sometimes even when he was fit. Los Merengues need someone like Ribery as I can't seem to think of someone as superb. What I like about Ribery is that he is truly world-class and less problematic. He is a leader, a team player, and has the potential to be a FIFA Player of the Year.
Left-back: Philipp Lahm
I can't think of anyone else but Lahm to play as a left back. Gabriel Heinze is an ex-footballer and it is irrational that he continues at the club. Marcelo is doing a good job, but a replacement for Heinze is important and with the characteristics that Lahm has, he could really be a good fit for the job.
Center back: ?
So now that Cannavaro is reportedly undergoing a medical with Juventus, Real needs to look for a quality center back. Garay, whom Real bought a while ago but loaned out to Racing, will be here in the summer, but can he be counted on? In any case, another defender should be signed to shore up the defense.
To be sold
Gabriel Heinze
Heinze is no longer capable of playing at a competitive level so it is time for him to hang up his boots, at least at the Bernabeu. However, before he does that, Real needs to find a replacement.
Javier Saviola
It hurts to see Saviola not given any chances. Former coach Bernd Schuster is to blame because he was the one who brought him in and never used him. And now with Higuain, Huntelaar, Van Nistelrooy and Raul, Saviola basically has no chance of a first-team spot. Chances are close to zero and the best thing for him and for the club is that he goes to another team.
To be loaned
Fernando Gago
I've never been a big fan of Gago, but I do like him and think he is a good player, but I'd loan him to a strong team in Spain, Italy, or Engalnd so he can develop quickly. Instead of relying on him primarily, Real should be counting on Diarra and Lass because, in all honesty, they are so much better than Gago.
Royston Drenthe
Drenthe has the talent, but still lacks a lot of things — even basic things. And he'll never get chances with Marcelo, Robben, Higuain, and Huntelaar on the squad. A good solution is to loan him to another team (Juventus are said to be interested) and let him develop there.
Javi Garcia
As the case with his young teammates, Javi Garcia can't seem to get a chance with players like Lass and Sneijder on the team. It all depends on him. If he thinks he can be better than those guys, then he should probably give it a shot, but If he thinks he can't compete with them and doesn't want to sit on the bench, then loaning him would be a good idea.
To be honored
Michel Salgado
Salgado has been at the club for a long time, and it must honor him. If he still wants to play football regularly, then he is free to go to the States or the Gulf, but If he is okay with a managerial role in the club, then he should be welcomed.
Guti
Guti's only problem is that he is inconsistent. If he wasn't, he would probably be one of the best players in the world. He, like Raul, has been at the club for a long time and while he shouldn't retire, he shouldn't expect a lot of playing time either. He needs to choose — a warm bench or a nice job at the Cantera.
Raul
Alright. I'm playing with fire here, but what the heck? Raul is a legend, and legends need to retire at some point. Raul shouldn't retire If he doesn't want to, but he should know that he is simply incapable of playing at a competitive level week in and week out. He limits Real's potential and sometimes influences its strategy. When Raul plays, the club plays with 10 men, not 11.
Though, part of the problem is the coach. No one has ever had the guts to bench Raul. Actually, I remember Capello doing it a couple of times, but Capello is no longer in Madrid and Juande or whoever will be the manager should have the courage to tell Raul to warm the bench sometimes.
One more last thing
A large part of the problem is that Real doesn't learn from its mistakes. Club officials don't learn from their mistakes. They keep doing the same thing over and over again. What Real needs is stability, work ethic, hard work, dedication, faith and most importantly patience.
Now it is your turn...
I'm sure you've got something to say and I want to hear it. Do you agree or disagree with me? What do you think should be done to create a Champions League winning Real Madrid team?
I'm all ears.
Hala Madrid!
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I think the safest way to go for Gago is to loan him. He has been at the club for two seasons and a half and I think it is time for him to either sit on the bench or play at another team for sometime then comeback.
We really can't count on him anymore. Hadn't Lass been here, we would have suffered a lot in the midfield.
I agree on most things of this story, but I see some things differently..
why should we keep van nistelrooy, a old striker who was hurt all season..I don't think we will win cl. next year, so we need a fresh start here..
I don't want ribery, he's a heck of a player, but he's a prooven troublemaker..I would either ronaldo or kaka(does so in fact at Milan if you watch closely) play on the wing..I'm pretty confident we'l get one of them..xabi alonso should control the tempo of our game (cesc is highly unlikely 
) since we loose our top games in this area (gago has to grow,that's right)..we have metzelder,pepe and garay for next year in defense, so I would only buy one young talented defender like mancienne from chelsea for 5 killos or so..lahm would be darn perfect, however, I think we can forget it..
I would sell guti,vdv,van nistelrooy,drenthe,heinze,saviola and m.diarra if we get a couple of money for them..
instead of lahm i would prefer yuri zirkov or clichy!!!! what do u think??? but this is all fanatsy because i think perez now has mastermind like zidane and he wont commit ugly mistakes>>if u dont trust perez then trust zidane!!believe everything is going to be fine
Very good written Adam 
But I want to add some things:
1. I'm so happy that you chose Ribéry.
2. I don't want Lahm, I want Taye Taiwo, Marseille.He's a giant left back, very much similar to R.Carlos. Has the talent to be the world's best!
3. I want Lucio in the middle. Pepe is a very good back and I really hope for him to come back. But it has been said many times that he need a older, more experienced back besides him. So now if/when Canna goes, please take in Lucio!
Then when it comes to Raúl, I think it's mission impossible! First, give him some good midfielders, why not Gourcuff? Then you see miracles I guess.
Watch link, I don't like Alves but here I think he's very right!
LINK
Raul is the real Real leader!
I think Adam that this is a very good post.! Especially about the stability of the club. Constant changing of presidents and sporting directors only bring instability and uncertainty. Who ever comes to these positions pushes their philosophy and therefore changing it every couple of years is a disaster if you ask me...
But i disagree about keeping Ramos. I think that this is not crucial. Bear me out here...
The thing's that you spoke about keeping the team foundation with the players you mentioned and strategically filling other positions is way more important than keeping Ramos and who ever comes to Real after elections should deal with this seriously...!!
he is both attacking midfielder and probably the most creative after xavi..those guys who r following french league and especially bordoux would surely agree with me on this one..any one know about laurent blanc/??? he is way better than juande ramos at tactics and like i said anyone watching bordoux games this season would have noticed there gameplay is much similar to that of barcelona>>believe me on this one.. i am dead sure 
119 Madridistas have commented on "Here Is What Needs To Be Done At Real Madrid" · Add yours
I completely agree. We need stability, a 3 year plan. We have a foundation now and we have to avoid the pitfalls of spending money just because we have it. I disagree about Gago. He had a hard time in the classico but I saw that he played his heart out and always went back and defended. Again Defense is key and we need that when Capello came that was the first thing he sorted out. We have the talent. We have replacements for our attackers We have Raul's heir in Higuain. We have Ruud's heir in Huntelaar. All we need is a playmaker. At the beginning of the season I thought we may have had them with Sneijder, Van Der Vaart and De la Red. We will have to see this Summer but we have the elements of excellent squad we just need to piece them together.
Reply to helmet_09:
Gago has undeniably improved, but I still don't think that he can do so much better than this. A player in his role needs to have certain qualities. We need someone as good as Cesc, Xavi or Iniesta If we want to play some good football. Do you think that Gago is capable of assisting and creating chances like how those players I've just mentioned can? No, I don't think so.